Rafter gauge

ABSTRACT

A device for supporting a rafter while a compound angle cut is made at one end thereof to fit other rafters in the fabrication of a roof. The device is adjustable so that rafters may be cut to fit roofs of varying pitches.

United States Patent Chester E. Kirk Corvallis, Oreg. 802,154

Feb. 25, 1969 Mar. 9, 1971 Speed Cut Inc. Corvallis, Oreg.

[ 72] Inventor [21 Appl. No. [22] Filed [45] Patented [7 3] Assignee l54] RAFI'ER GAUGE 2 Claims, 7 Drawing Figs. [52] U.S. Cl 143/170, 33/174[51] Int. Cl B27b 27/06 [50] Field ofSearch 143/168, 169,170,174,132,6-1; 144/288, 253; 33/174, 185; 83/468 [56] References Cited UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 1,789,125 l/1 93l Wilderson 143/174 2,274,129 2/1942Collins 143/170 2,998,832 9/1961 Lewis 144/288 Primary Examiner-DonaldR. Schran Attorney-Kimmel, Crowell & Weaver ABSTRACT: A device forsupporting a rafter while a compound angle cut is made at one endthereof to fit other rafters in the fabrication of a roof. The device isadjustable so that rafters may be cut to fit roofs of varying pitches.

RAFIER GAUGE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention Thepresent invention relates to the cutting of cheek-cuts on jack rafters,hip rafters and valley rafters, all used in the building of a roof andinvolvingcompound angle cuts which are most difficult to calculate andto accurately make. The device is used with a power saw of the typewhich is moved across the work, such as a radial arm saw, and supportsthe rafter at an angle to the upright fence.

2. Description of the Prior Art The cutting of the compound anglecheek-cuts on jack rafters, hip rafters and valley rafters in theconstruction of a roof has been in the past a laborious art in which thecarpenter draws the compound angle on the piece to be cut and then handsaws the marked out with either a hand operated handsaw or an electricdriven handsaw. Following a drawn line particularly for a compound angleis extremely difficult with either electrically operated saws or withhand operated saws so that it is almost impossible to get a good fitwhen cutting rafters with such a system. Furthermore, the accuracy ofthe total length of the cut is quite important and very difficult tomaintain when following a drawn line on the work.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention consists of a gauge whichis secured to the fence of a saw so that the work which is normallyengaged flat against the fence is held outwardly at its upper end sothat it is at an angle to the fence to produce an angle cut when the sawis moved thereacross.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an end elevation of theinvention shown attached to a saw fence with a protractor illustrated ina position to check the angle of the workpiece; 1

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross section taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1looking in the direction of the arrows with the workpiece removed;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the invention removed from the saw fence;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the gauge bar illustrating one set of indicia;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the opposite face of the gauge bar illustratinganother set of indicia;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of a sawand saw table with the inventionattached thereto with a rafter in position for cutting to produce aleft-hand rafter; and

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 .with the work in position forcutting a right-hand rafter.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings indetail wherein like reference characters indicate like parts throughoutthe several FIGS., the reference numeral 10 indicates generally a raftergauge constructed in accordance with the invention.

The rafter gauge 10 includes a generally rectangular upright body 11having a notch 12 formed in the lower end thereof. A bore 13 extendsthrough the lower end of the body 11 and opens into the notch 12, as canbe seen in FIG. 1. A bore 14 extends through the body 11 adjacent theupper end thereof with the axis of the bore 14 parallel to the axis ofthe bore 13. A threadedbore 15 opens through the top of the body 11 andintersects the bore 14 intermediate the opposite ends thereof. Asetscrew 16 is threaded into the threaded bore 15 and has a handwheel 17rigidly secured to the upper end thereof.

An elongated generally rectangular gauge bar 18 is provided at one endwith a beveled point .19 and has a vertical bore 20 extendingtherethrough adjacent the opposite end thereofiA chain, 21 bis securedat one end to the gauge bar 18 through the bore 20iand at the oppositeend engages about the threaded setscrew 16 to secure the gauge bar 18 tothe body 11 so that it can not become lost.

A bolt B extends through the bore 13 and is adapted to extend through afence 22 so that with a wingnut 23 the body 11 can be clamped to thefence 22, as can be seen in FIG. 1.

The gauge bar 18 has a surface 24 bearing indicia 25 consisting of thenumbers 2 through 8 and a plurality of marks corresponding thereto. Thesurface 24 also carries the indication HIP and VAL. to indicate the typeof rafter the gauge bar is to be used with. The opposite face 26 of thegauge bar 18 is provided with indicia 27 consisting of the numbers 2through 8 and a plurality of indicator lines corresponding thereto. Thesurface 26 also carries the designation JACK to indicate this side ofthe gauge bar 18 is to be used for jack rafters. The spacing of theindicia 25 is somewhat different from the spacing of the indicia27 forthe reasons as will be explained below.

The gauge bar 18 is adapted to be slid through the bore 14 and clampedin an adjusted position therein by the setscrew 16 operated by thehandwheel 17.

In FIG. 1, a rafter 28 is illustrated in position against the fence 22at its lower end and with its upper end held outwardly at an angle bythe rafter gauge bar 18. A protractor 29 is illustrated in gaugechecking position to determine the angle of the rafter 28 with respectto the fence 22.

In FIGS. 6 and 7, a radial arm saw is generally'indicated at 30 andincludes a saw blade 31, an electric motor 32, drive belt 33, a sawtable 34, and a fence 35 to support the work while being cut by the sawblade 31. The saw blade 31 is adjustable in angle and the angle can beread on a protractor dial 36. A left-hand rafter 37 is in position onthe saw table 34 in FIG. 6 and is about to be cut by the saw blade 31:In FIG. 7, a rafter 38 is positioned on the saw table 34 to have thecheekcut made thereon to produce a right-hand rafter.

In using the rafter gauge 10 the following table is consulted to get thecorrect relationship between the pivot angle of the saw blade and thetilt angle of the work.

TABLE 1.COMBINATION OF ANGLES FOR CHEEK CUTS In the use and operation ofthe invention, the gauge bar 18 is turned so that the surface 24 or thesurface26 is upward, de pending upon the type of rafter to be cut. Thenumbers of the indicia 25 and 27 refer to the number of-feet of slope in12 feet of the finished roof. The gauge bar is slid until the correctslope number is at the edge of the body 11 as illustrated in FIG. 3,whereupon the handwheel is tightened to clamp the gauge bar 18 in thebody 11. With the gauge bar in the correct position, the saw angle isset to correspond to the slope of the roof to be cut and with the sawblade in a vertical plane, the saw is moved across the rafter which isin contact with the fence and the gauge bar in the position illustratedin FIG. 6 or FIG. 7.

Having thus described the preferred embodiment of the invention, itshould be. understood that numerous structural modifications andadaptations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit ofitheinvention.

I claim:

1. The combination, with a saw support structure including a horizontaltable and a fence substantially perpendicular to the table, and avertical saw blade movable across the table, of a rafter gaugeattachment comprising:

a body portion having an upper end and a lower end, the

lower end having a notch formed therein of a configuration to engageabout the fence of the saw support structure;

means detachably securing the body portion to the fence;

the body portion having a first bore formed therein and extendingtherethrough above the fence and on an axis perpendicular to the fence;

an elongated gauge bar slidably mounted in the first bore for movementsubstantially along said axis;

the gauge bar having opposite faces and being provided on each of saidfaces with indicia for indicating cutting adjustments;

the body portion having a threaded second bore intersecting the firstbore;

a screw, having an external handle thereon, engaged in the second boreand movable into contact with the gauge bar to clamp the gauge bar inadjusted position; and

means for flexibly securing the gauge bar to the screw.

2. The combination of claim 1, wherein the gauge bar has an end providedwith oppositely beveled faces.

1. The combination, with a saw support structure including a horizontaltable and a fence substantially perpendicular to the table, and avertical saw blade movable across the table, of a rafter gaugeattachment comprising: a body portion having an upper end and a lowerend, the lower end having a notch formed therein of a configuration toengage about the fence of the saw support structure; means detachablysecuring the body portion to the fence; the body portion having a firstbore formed therein and extending Therethrough above the fence and on anaxis perpendicular to the fence; an elongated gauge bar slidably mountedin the first bore for movement substantially along said axis; the gaugebar having opposite faces and being provided on each of said faces withindicia for indicating cutting adjustments; the body portion having athreaded second bore intersecting the first bore; a screw, having anexternal handle thereon, engaged in the second bore and movable intocontact with the gauge bar to clamp the gauge bar in adjusted position;and means for flexibly securing the gauge bar to the screw.
 2. Thecombination of claim 1, wherein the gauge bar has an end provided withoppositely beveled faces.